“Are you here for a checkup then?” she asked.
“No. I need to talk to Trella. Do you have a few minutes?”
I glanced at Lamont. She nodded and returned to work.
“Here?” I asked.
“If you’d be so kind as to wheel me over to the dining room, we can talk there.”
Interesting how no one wanted to talk in the infirmary. I wondered if someone had planted a listening device here. Perhaps it was due to the patients. Lying around with nothing to do, they would enjoy eavesdropping on our conversation.
Domotor remained quiet as I pushed him to Quad G3, helped him fill his tray, and found an empty table far away from those who eyed us with curiosity. He attacked his food as if he hadn’t eaten in weeks.
“If you need a break from Committee business, I know a little place in Quad C1 where no one would bother you,” I said. “You’d probably eat more often, too.”
He laughed. “Tempting except for the black dust and roar of the power plant.”
Domotor finished his meal. He wiped his mouth with a napkin, but kept the cloth clutched in his hand. A little color had returned to his face. No spark lit his blue eyes. Even during the worst moments of the rebellion, he’d never looked this bad.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Everything. But first tell me how you bypassed the tracer in your arm.”
Was he guessing? Or did he know? I kept my expression neutral. “I didn’t bypass the tracer.” The truth.
“You can tell me. I’m no longer on the Committee.”
A sinking feeling of unease stroked my stomach. “Why not?”
“There is no longer a Committee. The Controllers have taken over Inside.”
“But the computer?—”
“They have the network and all system controls. Except the Transmission’s.”
“All systems?” Fear swirled and I fought to keep from grabbing the chair’s arms in panic.
“Yes. If they decide to cut off our air, we’re dead.”
“Did they release Karla and Vinco?” Funny how I was more terrified of those two than the threat of suffocation.
“No.”
Surprised, I asked, “Why not?”
“The Controllers arenotthe Travas.”
“Not all of them,” I said. “Jacy’s in charge, but he’s working with them.”
Domotor laughed. “Jacy? Where did you hear that?”
“I have my sources.”
“Well your sources are wrong.”
“Really? Then who are the Controllers?”
“Outsiders.”
